Transmutable display device.



FRANK CLARENCE NEWELL, JR., OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

TRANSMUTABLE DISPLAY DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 3, 1911.

Application filed July 23, 1910. Serial No. 573,561.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK CLARENCE NEWELL, J r., a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles, State of California, have invented. a certain new and useful Transmutable Display Device; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to transmutable display devices, more particularly to an improved construction therefor for forming and displaying letters, symbols, designs and the like, and it may be said to consist in the novel features and in the novel construction, arrangement and combination of parts substantially as appears from the description hereinafter and as set forth in the appended claims.

Objects of the invention are to provide a construction for a device of the class men tioned, which shall be simple in character, cheap to manufacture, easy to manipulate, durable and effective in use, and permit of displaying letters, symbols, designs, etc., of neat and striking appearance.

A further object of the invention is to provide simple letter forming and display ing members and construct the same with one of the faces thereof convex whereby the effect of raised letters may be produced thereby in use, and whereby the members may be easily and quickly reversed in position on the framework by simply sweeping the hand or any suitable instrument against the convex faces thereof.

Other objects and the advantages of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from a consideration of the following description of two of the many diverse forms of construction in which the invention may be embodied, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 shows a portion of the device having the invention applied thereto. Figs. 2 and 3 are details of the blanks for forming one of the members which are mounted on the framework. Figs. 4 and 5 are perspective views of the member in different positions on the framework. Figs. 6 to 1 0 inclusive illustrate a modified form of construction for the device.

The framework 2, preferably reticular, may be constructed in any approved manner to provide suitable interstices 3, in this case the framework being shown to be constructed of a set of blackened longitudinal rods or wires and a setof transverse rods or wires associated therewith to provide rectangular interstices. On the framework 2 are a plurality of members in the interstices 3; the members having two faces of dissimilar appearance and being constructed and arranged on one of the sets of rods or wires to permit change of position of the faces, the other set of rods or wires serving to keep the members in place on the first set.

In the form of construction illustrated in Figs. 1 to 5 inclusive, each of the members it jis preferably formed of the blanks 5 and 6 1 shown respectively in Figs. 2 and 3, which blanks are preferably stamped from sheet metal though they may be of any other ap ;proved material. As shown, the blank 5 ;may be substantially square and provided with the top and bottom lugs 7 and 8 and with the slanting curved pro ection 9 at the right hand upper end portion thereof, and the blank 6 may be oblong and provided fwith top and bottom slits 10 and 11 and the projection 12 at the left hand upper end portion thereof. The blanks 5 and 6 are dissimilarly colored, preferably being coated with enamel paint or varnish, and they may be respectively dead black and lustrous white. In assembling the members 1 the ,blanks 6 may be convexed and placed over the rods or wires 13 above the interstices whereupon the blanks 5 may be secured to the blanks 6 by bending over the lugs 7 and 8 after passing them through the slits 10 and 11 in the blank 6, the projection 9 having first been bent over to extend at right angles thereby bringing the curved edge 14 'thereof in contact with the inside surface of the conveXed blank 6 when the members are assembled on the framework.

In the modified form of construction the framework may consist of the blackened longitudinal rods or wires 23 and the blackened crossrods or wires 24 and the members 15 may be formed of the dissimilarly colored blanks 16 and 17, as shown in Figs. 8 and 9, the black blank 17 being substantially square and being provided with lugs 18 at the sides ,thereof and also with top and bottom split tongues 19 having openings 20 therein, and the white blank 16 which may be of greater width than the blank 17 to permit convexing thereof and which is provided with slits 21 near the side edges thereof and with an extended portion or projection 22 at the bottom thereof. In assembling the members 15, the blanks 17 may be mounted on the longitudinal rods or wires 23 by bending the tongues 19 inwardly at right angles to the rods or wires 28, as shown, and the blanks 16 after being convexed may be secured to the blank 1'7 by passing the lugs 18 through the slits 21 and then bending down thelugs.

In the use of the device as above described and illustrated in Figs. 1 to 5 inclusive, it will be understood that the pendant members 4 may be manipulated to bring into view the white faces of such as are necessary to form the desired letter, symbol or design, and when the letters, symbols or designs are formed their appearance will be striking in contrast with the black faces adjacent thereto; the convexity of the faces giving the effect of raised letters, symbols or designs. The members may be readily inverted to interchange or reverse the position of the faces thereof by sweeping the hand or any suitable instrument upwardly over the convex faces, the projections 12 abutting against the longitudinal rods or wires 25 and acting as a stop to limit the movement of the members.

As will be seen from Fig. 5, when the black faces are to the front a shadow effect is produced thereon by the members canting rearwardly because of the projections 9 and 12 abutting against the rods 01' wires 13.

In the use of the device as illustrated in Figs. 6 to 10 inclusive, it will be evident that either of the faces of the members 15 may be reversed in position by sweeping the hand or any suitable instrument to the right over the convex white faces thereof, the curved portions or projections 26 of the rods or wires 23 acting as stops to limit the turning of the members 011 the rods or wires 23 when so swept and the extension or projection 22 abutting against the rods or wires 24L acting to retain the members in position after the latter have been turned to reverse the position of the faces.

While two diverse forms of construction in which the invention may be embodied have been illustrated and described, various changes and modifications will readily ocour to those skilled in the art, and the right is therefore reserved to all such changes and modifications as do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a device of the class specified, the combination of a reticular framework comprising a set of longitudinal rods associated with a set of transverse rods, members having two substantially oppositely disposed faces, said faces differently colored and one of said faces convex for the purposes set forth, said members disposed in the interstices of the framework and constructed and arranged pendently on one of the sets of rods of the framework to permit reversal of position of said faces, the other set of rods serving to keep the members in place on the first set of rods, substantially as described.

2. I11 a device of the class specified, the combination of a reticular framework, members having faces thereof of dissimilar appearance, said members constructed and arranged on the framework to permit of the faces being interchanged in position, and means for canting the members rearwardly when one of the said faces thereof is exposed to view.

3. In a device of the class specified, a reticular framework, members arranged pendent-1y on the framework in the interstices thereof and having opposite faces thereof of dissimilar appearance, one of said faces being convex in form, said members constructed and arranged on the framework to permit the faces being interchanged in position, means to limit the movement of the members, and means for canting the members rearwardly'when one of the said faces thereof is exposed to view.

4. In a device of the class specified, the combination of a reticular framework, members having two substantially oppositely disposed faces of dissimilar appearance, one of said faces convex in form for the purposes set forth, said members constructed and arranged on the framework to permit the faces being interchanged in position, and coacting means integral with said framework and members adapted to limit the movement of the members on the framework, said means including projections associated with said members, substantially as described.

5. In a device of the class specified, the combination of a reticular framework, members having two oppositely disposed faces differently colored, one of said faces convex in form for the purposes set forth, said members constructed and arranged on the framework to permit of the faces being interchanged in position.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses at Los Angeles,

county of Los Angeles, State of California, this 18th day of July D. 1910.

F. CLARENCE NEI/VELL, JR.

VVit-nesses ALEX. H. LIDDERS, W. IV. BUTLER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

